284 



NEW PLANTS. 



fUNTLEYA ALBIDO-rULVA {Vniust Sort, t. 556).— Orchidaceae. 

 A pretty species, with white and copper-coloured flowers, native of 

 Brazil. 



Encephalartus yillosus {Vlllust. Sort., t. 657).— Cycadacese. 

 A weU-developed plant, poorly figured. A good drawing of the inflo- 

 rescence would have been interesting. 



Alternanthera amabilis {JOIllust. Sort., t. 558). — A charming addition to 

 the useful series of new amaranths for bedding. Tlie colours which prevail in the 

 leafage of this plant are carmine, red, orange bufi", and pleasing shades of green. 



CiELOGYNE lagenaria {L' Illust. Eort., t. 510). — A pretty miniature orchid, 

 which lias gourd or bottle-like pseudo-bulbs, and large pale lavender-coloured 

 flowers. 



Aerides Lobbii (L'lllust. Sort., t. 559).— A fine figure of this magnificent 

 orchid, one of the most delicately-coloured of the " fox-brush" class. 



Begonia ticta (L'lllust. Sort., t. 560).— The history and relations of this 

 plant are unknown. The figure shows an elegant mass of leafage, the leaves ovate 

 with cordiform base, pale green, richly variegated with yellow lines and dots. 



Camellia Caterixa Rossi {Vlllust. Sort., t. 561). — A charming flower of 

 medium size, the petals imbricated, colour warm pinky flesh, overspread with delicate 

 lines, and dots of pale purple or rose. 



House Gardening. — " Having been driven by the pressure of a painful bodily 

 infirmity to take up my residence in the crowded' locality of Covent Garden, after 

 many years spent in the enjoyment of a greenhouse and hothouse in the country, an 

 endeavour has been made to see how far that enjoyment can be supplied in London. 

 A small, but inexpensive three-light greenhouse has been erected in a back-yard- 

 open, however, and airy, beneath the shadow of a plane-tree, from 40 to 50 feet 

 high, and a mulberry tree, both in full leaf; and here, thanks to the intelligent 

 zeal of my son, whose incipient taste for floricultural pursuits leads him to spend as 

 many hours of an evening in his London greenhouse as he until lately did in his 

 country one, escaping thereby the temptations of more exciting pleasures, we have 

 an interesting collection of ferns, many of them British, which have acquired their 

 full growth from plants which were cut or died down to the roots during the winter, 

 and all are doing well, especially Asplenium filix-foemina, and Osmunda regalis ; 

 with, amongst foreign species, Cyrtomium falcatum, Nephrodium Sieboldii, Loroaria 

 alpina, Aspidium triangularum, Pelloea rotundifolia, Asplenium viviparum, Aspidium 

 macrophyllum, Cyrtomium caryotideum, Leptochilus decurrens, Elaphoglossum 

 callsefolium, etc. Besides these we have a few seedlings in flower, and, thanks to 

 the kind encouragement of the worthy Director of the Royal Gardens of Kew, an 

 interesting collection of miscellaneous plants, some of which are in flower, including 

 Mahernia vestita, Cytisus canariensis, Rhynchospermum jasminoides, Sollya hetero- 

 phylla, Loddigesia oxalidifolia, Mitraria coccinea, Polygala Dalmaisiana, Rhyn- 

 chosia gibba, Cissus discolor, Veronica decussata, Monochtetum tenellum, Jasminum 

 didymura, Torenia Asiatica, Tacsonia niollissima, Chironia Fischerii, Lonicera aureo- 

 reticulata, Malva miniata, Prostanthera nivea and retusa, Tradescantia discolor, 

 Eutaxia myrtifolia, Graptophyllum pictum, Heterocentrum Mexicanum, and Eran- 

 themum^ Cooperi ; and among cool orchids we have fine healthy plants of Lycaste 

 Skinneri and Odontoglossum grande, both making fresh bulbs. It is, perhaps, 

 scarcely worth while to speak of a capacious fern-case in the window of an upper 

 room, so common is the use in London of this elegant botanical toy, but an invalid 

 whose days are spent recumbent on the sofa may be excused dilating on the pleasure 

 of beiiig able to watch the growth of a vigorous intertwining mass of curious forms 

 of foreign ferns, many of them productions of the most distant parts of the globe, 

 New Zealand, India, Mexico, Japan, among which the following are conspicuous : — 

 Litrobrochia vespertilionis, Nephrolepis tuberosa, Drynaria propinqua, Pteris sca- 

 berula, Adiantum formosum, Phymatodes Billardieri, Phlebodium aureum, Colysis 

 membranacea, Pteris cretica, Lastrea glabella, etc." — Lovel Reeve in Gardeners' 

 Chronicle, 



